This invention relates to concentration cells that are created by the action of an external field on the inhomogeneous distribution of chemical species within electrolytes and the utilization of the concentration cells to produce electricity including electric batteries that can be thermally reconditioned by the user.
Concentration cells are long known but have had only minor success in broad commercial application in the field of electrical production, especially failing in the field of commercial electric batteries. Yet the use of concentration cells is attractive because the fundamental process permits the regeneration of the electric potential of battery devices by thermal processes rather than by use of externally supplied electricity as is common today for many commercially available batteries. The user""s ability to recondition an economically competitive battery by simple thermal processes rather than electrical recharging would provide the user with additional and useful choices for selecting an electric battery and would be an important contribution to the industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,378 to Krumpelt et al. (1981) describes a system and method for a thermally regenerable concentration cell. Their invention emphasizes the problems in this field that are in need of remedy. Their invention includes a large number of components such as containments for anode and cathode, an ion exchange member, electrical inductors, a distillation column, a pump, and a storage tank. Their invention is not useful to users of commercial batteries because of its obvious physical bulk and complexity, nor is it economically competitive to presently available batteries that are electrically rechargeable. However, their invention does inform of the applicability and potential usefulness of electrochemical concentration cell processes in applications where utilization of solar heat or low grade waste heat is available.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,676 B1 to Leddy et al. (2001) describes systems that utilize magnetic fields and concentration gradients to enhance the performance of a variety of electrochemical processes and devices. Their inventions utilize short range magnetic fields that are sourced from magnetized microbeads that are incorporated into an ion exchange polymer forming a composite material. These fields then modify the flux of certain magnetic components within the electrolyte as it passes through the magnetic composite material. This teaches the value of using short range fields to effect a useful manipulation of chemical components within a electrolyte. However, the use of a composite material with microscopic channels restricts the movement of reactive chemical components that have countercurrent flows that are prevalent in the electrochemistry of concentration cells. Additionally, the invention by Leddy et al. does not take advantage of concentration gradients or electrolyte inhomogeneities that exist outside of the composite material and that are valuable to the operation of a thermally regenerable electric battery.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide novel methods which utilize external fields, electrodes, and electrolytes to create improved concentration cells that generate electricity.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved thermally reconditionable concentration cell that generates electricity.
This invention significantly departs from and improves over the prior art by novel methods that utilize external fields, electrodes and electrolytes to create a concentration cell.
One advantage of the invention is that it uses the action of a field on gradients or concentration inhomogeneities that are intrinsic to a volume of electrolyte.
Another advantage of the invention is that the arrangement of field and electrodes can be specialized to maximize the displacement of the components within the electrolyte based on their size and other of their properties.
Another advantage of the invention is that the electrodes and field source elements can be placed with precision very close to each other.
Another advantage of the invention is that specific electrodes and field sources can be of one material and construction.
Another advantage of the invention is that the displacement of concentration inhomogeneities by the field can be focused to localized regions.
Another advantage of the invention is that it can be thermally reconditioned.
Another advantage of the invention is that it can be made to operate with a wide variety of electrolytes and fields and electrode materials.
Another advantage of the invention is that it can be designed to operate in many different temperature environments.
Another feature of the invention is that both anode and cathode can be of the same material.
Another feature of the invention is that the anode and cathode are determined by the action of an external field on subvolumes existent within the electrolyte
Another feature of the invention is that it can be used in conventional electrical circuits.
Another feature of the invention is that it can be modified to give a variety of output voltages and power levels.